How Sofia Vergara Got the Body She Has Now

A quick scroll through Sofia Vergara's Instagram might leave followers with the impression that she goes hard at the gym to maintain an amazing figure. But lucky for lazy girls everywhere, Vergara's work-out routine is actually very achievable.

Marie Claire spoke to her trainer Jennifer Yates about the actress' habits; she also gave tips on how to achieve them for yourself.

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1. It's fine to take time off

"Typically, if we have a good filming schedule where she has availability, we'll work out between five and seven days, which is a lot. But she takes a lot of time off when she's busy," Yates says. "It's fine to give yourself a break — your body comes back stronger. You have to let your body rest, even if you're working out a few days during the week. That's why we rotate with Sofia. We have days in between when she rests. If you exhaust the muscles, you're more prone to getting injured."

2. No, you don't have to run

Like the rest of humanity, Vergara isn't a huge fan of running, so she walks on the treadmill to build muscle in her glutes and legs: "She doesn't like to run, sometimes she'll get on the spin bike for 15 minutes, but she prefers to walk on a high incline."

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Yates suggests that you "walk anywhere between a six to eight per cent incline, and walk at a speed where you feel a touch out of breath, but you aren't jogging. A steep hike is challenging".

3. Embrace your curves

"Sofia wants to build muscle and have that look — she likes curves," Yates says, speaking our language. "She'll spin to get cardio in, but walking is effective for her."

4. Keep switching things up

The thought of running every day is a horrifying and exhausting prospect for many of us, which is why you should feel free to change your routine. "Twice a week we'll do bum exercises because that's the area she really loves to focus on," Yates says. "A couple times, we do upper body and abdominals."

5. You can do it all without leaving the house

"All you need is your own body weight," Yates says. "Crunches are great. During red-carpet season we do a lot of upper body and abs — planks are also great. Even if you have a weighted object; you can hold it in one hand, crunch to one side, and pull back up to hit your oblique muscles. You can also get a cheap resistance band for five dollars or less, and wrap it around a secure pole or doorknob. If you stand facing that object and do a torso twist, you'll hit your obliques as well. The key is making sure you have the correct form. Holding planks is one of the best full-body exercises you can do." Noted.

6. You do not have to work out every day

Sofia might work out five to seven times a week at her most intense, but no pressure if that's too much for you. "I would suggest two to three times a week, and I would say 30 minutes each day," Yates says. "It's doable. A lot of people don't have time to work-out — we're all busy with family and work and school. But 30 minutes a day should be achievable. You can even do 15 minutes of walking in the morning and 15 minutes of abs in the evening. Being active is important to help with stress and stay healthy — it isn't about looking a certain way or losing weight."

7. Start with squats

Gym too daunting? Yoga matt shoved in a closet somewhere? One word: squats. "Sofia and I do a lot of squats, but they're easy. I had to work with her form at the beginning, because when you squat, you want your knees to push back over your ankles. I really want to protect her knees, so I put a bench behind her and wrap a resistance band around her quadriceps. She'll sit down into the chair and comes back up, squeezing her glute muscles as she comes up. You can do it without the bands, but even just sitting down in a chair and coming back up is great, it really engages your abdominals. If you do 25 of those, it's a great way to start gaining strength."

8. Eat pizza

"I train my clients that there should never be guilty with pleasure," Yates explains. "If you want that piece of pizza or that cupcake, it's okay. Just make sure you limit yourself to not the entire pizza or seven cupcakes. Indulge here and there. Deprivation makes you go over the edge and you just obsess about something you want. Having balance is very important. Eat clean for five to six days and then indulge on the weekend. It's all about balance."

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